Within loading docks and various other loading and unloading areas and structures, dock levelers are typically used for providing convenient access into cargo vehicles. These dock levelers can include lip plates, deck plates, elevating docks, and other similar mechanisms that are rotationally operable to provide a convenient transitioning surface between the interior cargo area of the vehicle and a loading dock area within a structure. Certain dock levelers are biased in a generally upward direction in order to counteract the weight of the dock leveler. These biasing mechanisms serve to allow for convenient lifting of the dock leveler from a lowered position to a raised position. These biasing mechanisms also provide for a smooth return rotation from the raised position to the lowered position to prevent damage to the vehicle, dock leveler or the structure surrounding the dock leveler.